Apparatus for



No. 608,675. Patented Aug. 9, I898. H. HEGELER.

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING GREASE T0 SHEET ZINC.

(Application filed Jan. 8, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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HERMAN HEGELER, OF LA SALLE, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING GREASE TO SHEET-ZINC.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 608,675, dated August 9, 1898.

Application filed January 8, 1898. Serial N 1 666,O67. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

- Be it known that I, HERMAN IIEGELER, of La Salle, in the county of La Salle and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Applying Grease to Sheet-Zinc, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for applying grease to sheets of zinc in the operation of being rolled in order to prevent the sheets from sticking together, the grease being applied to one side of one sheet to be placed upon another when the two are to be put through the rollers together. It is desirable that the grease should be applied in a thin layer and distributed evenly over the entire surface to be protected, and, so far as I am aware, the means heretofore proposed or employed for the purpose have not given satisfaction.

The object of my invention is to provide efficient means for the purpose whereby the application may be made with greater facility and economy and with better effect than heretofore. I attain this object by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in wl1ich- Figure 1 represents a side elevation, partly in section, of a frame in fragment with a pair of rolls and my grease-applying apparatus in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, including the frame at both ends of the rolls. Fig. 3 is a View partly in section, the section being taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1 and looked at in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is a detail showing an enlarged sectional View taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, A is the frame in which the rolls B are jou'rnaled. On one side of the rolls is a platform or slide C, from which a zinc bar to be rolled can be fed to the rolls. On the other side are dogs D, upon which the flattened zinc bar is delivered by the rolls, and supports D, upon which it may be extended as its length and width are increased by being repeatedly passed between the rolls. These parts are all of ordinary construction.

I arrange under the dogs, at the delivery side of the rolls, a grease-reservoir E of the requisite length to span the width of the zinc sheet to which the grease is to be applied.

The reservoir is provided with a series of small tubes e,communicating with the interior of the reservoir and extending out through its fa pipe 0, communicating with the tank at the bottom, and bya vent-tube e communicating with the tank at the top and extendingthrough the top of the reservoir and down to a point at which it is desired to maintain the grease-level in the reservoir, the tank being air-tight, so as to form a seal upon the flow of grease when the end of the vent-tube in the reservoir is submerged. The vent-tube admits air from the reservoir into the top part of the tank when the seal is broken by the lowering of the level of grease in the reservoir below the open end of the Vent-tube therein, and the breaking of the sealstarts theflowof grease from the tank into the reservoir until the seal is again formed by the flow of grease to the reservoir in sufficient amount to raise the level above the end of the vent-tube and close the same against the admission of airto the top of the tank through said tube. The, pipe 6 has a shut-off cock for closing the passage when the plug E is removed for filling the tank. An air-tube F is arranged below the grease-reservoir and provided with a series of nozzles f, corresponding with the tubes 6, the nozzlebore being about one-sixteenth of an inch. The nozzles are adapted to direct currents of air across the bevel ends of the tubes, so as to exhaust the air and suck up through the tube and atomize the liquid grease from the greasereservoir, each of said tubes and nozzles op erating as an ordinary liquid-atomizer in the production and casting off of a liquid spray. A hose or pipe F connects the open end of air-tube F with a tank or other source of sup ply of compressed air, (not illustrated,) said pipe having a valve f for regulating the sup ply of air required to produce the requisite pressure in the tube F and a shut-oft cock-f for turning on and shutting off the pressure as required in use. A steam or hot-water pipe Gr, connected with a suitable source of supply and return, is passed through the grease-tank E and reservoir E, so that sufficient heat maybe applied to solid grease therein to keep it in liquid form for the purpose contemplated; but such application of heat would not be required with oils or any normally liquid lubricant.

The operation is as follows: Ordinarily two zinc bars are handled together by being successively passed between the primary rolls until sufficiently flattened to be put through together, one on top of the other, after which they are so put through together until reduced to comparatively thin sheets. The grease is applied just before the sheets are put together. With my device as the first sheet is put through singly the last time the attendant turns the shut-01f cock f to open the air-supply just as the front end of the sheetis emerging from the rolls. The compressed air being thus turned on blows out at all of the nozzles f, causing the grease to be drawn from the reservoir and thrown in a fine spray upward in aline or course extending across under the path along which the sheet moves, so as to strike and cover every part of the under side as it is moving upon the dogs D to the supports D. The shut-off cock f is turned to shut off the compressed air, and thus stop the grease-spray as soon as the first sheet has passed the spray-nozzles. This sheet is then placed with its under side on top of the next sheet, so that the greased side of the first sheet is brought in contact with the top of the second sheet, when the rolling of the sheets together is performed as usual. The apparatus being set up in connection with the rolls and charged with grease and having the connection with a compressed-air supply all that is required to be done to apply the grease is to flip the handle of the stop-cock f at the proper time and just the proper amount of grease and the required application to every part of the surface will be made without failure.

hat I claim is 1. In an apparatus of the class mentioned, the combination with the rolls, of a greasereservoir arranged at the delivery side of the rolls and provided with a series of open-ended tubes, an air-tube provided with a series of nozzles arranged in connection with the openended tubes to form a series of atomizers and means for supplying and controlling compressed air in connection therewith substantially as specified.

2. In an apparatus of the class mentioned, the combination with the rolls, of a greasereservoir provided with atomizers and means for supplying and controlling compressed air in connection therewith the rolls and greasereservoir having the relative arrangement specified.

3. In an apparatus of the class mentioned, the combination with the rolls, of a greasereservoir provided with atomizers, arranged as shown with relation to the rolls, and an air-tight grease-tank placed at a higher level than the grease-reservoir and having pipe connections for the grease-supply and for Ventilation substantially as specified.

4. An apparatus of the class specified comprising a pair of rolls, a reservoir provided with a row of atomizers arranged as shown with relation to the rolls, means for supplying and controllin g compressed air in connection with the atomizers, and an elevated supply-tank for the reservoir having pipe connections for the supply and for ventilation substantially as specified.

5. In an apparatus for applying grease to zinc sheets, a grease-reservoir provided with a row of atomizers, means for supplying and controlling compressed air in connection with the atomizers, and means for propelling the zinc sheets at a uniform speed over the atom izers, substantially as specified.

HERMAN IIEGELER.

Vitnesses:

CHRISTIAN B. LIHME, R. M. HoUoK. 

